I didn't expect two novellas, but I'm so glad I got to read both of their stories. Love doesn't always work out and I loved seeing what happens after it doesn't. I love M/M and these two stories were, simply put, perfect reads. Lovely writing style and I really got invested in their lives. Love more spice in my romance reads, but these were both very well done. Highly recommend.

🎧 Waiting for the Flood 🎧⁣
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⁣Genre- Romance. ⁣
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⁣Length- 384 pages. ⁣
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⁣My thoughts- This was a quiet book about a breakup and the aftermath. Alexis Hall’s writing is very flowery and not quite my style, but I still thought this was a lovely book. ⁣
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⁣Read if you enjoy- m/m romance, novellas, flowery prose, and slow burn books! ⁣
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⁣Three stars!

In the aftermath of ending their decade long relationship, Edwin and Marius navigate life apart and their paths to separate lives. Bookish Edwin meets Engineer Adam as they prepare for his Oxford neighborhood to flood. Marius, the artist, stumbles into the path of mysterious Leo, the resident of a narrowboat on the Thames. "Waiting for the Flood" follows both stories as Marius and Edwin learn to move forward and perhaps find peace with the end of their partnership.

"Waiting for the Flood" has many of the hallmarks of Alexis Hall's writing: Intelligent and witty writing, ridiculous situations, and sweet love stories. Unlike recent works "Boyfriend Material" and "Husband Material", "Waiting for the Flood" is a steamy open-door romance.

Overall, the novel was a slow build, but once it got there, it was worth the wait.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader.

I’ve really enjoyed Hall’s previous books but this one left me disappointed. It’s all about a flood that is threatening homes, the MMC meets a hunky flood engineer and they start dating. I think this one just wasn’t for me, 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

You actually get two novellas in one here, which are "Waiting for the Flood" AND "Chasing the Light." I thought this was a great way to make a foray into the aftermath of a big breakup, and its repercussions into your not-so-average everyday life. Alexis Hall will always remain one of my favourite authors, and this book shows further proof this won't change in the near future.a

As always, Alexis Hall has written another thoughtful romance making space for characters’ more complex emotional experiences and reactions. That’s what makes Hall’s books so special - that love is for everyone in all their multifaceted experiences & traumas.

This book made me feel like I was watching one of those moody, arthouse films that are shot completely in the one location, like a boat on a frozen river or a house that is ever so slowly taking on water. It definitely wins an Oscar for best sound.

The characters were interesting and complex and I’m left feeling like it was too short, like I need to know more about what happens next.

Thanks to #NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Fiction/Romance
Format: Digital
POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ /5
Age suggestion: 18+

This is a gorgeous snow day of a contemporary romance. It's split into halves, Waiting for the Flood which follows Edwin and Chasing the Light which follows Marius. Edwin and Marius were together ten years and have been broken up for some time before either story begins. In tandem, we get to see each of them struggling in the aftermath of their relationship ending. We also get to see them move on. It's such a special perspective to watch new stories unfold while remaining fully seated in the relationship that has come before. It was also a perfect choice to lay each story back to back instead of chopping them up and interspersing them chapter for chapter, which seems like a popular strategy right now. Because we read through Edwin's story first, we come in to Chasing the Light biased and have to observe and open back up to accept Marius and eventually root for him too. There aren't any villains here, just people with totally normal people issues who can and do hurt one another even when they wished they didn't. Ahem, it's pretty heartbreakingly relatable. I like that we aren't pushed to chose one. We get to love both of them.
The whole book is quiet like a Sunday morning and the stories take place in in-between times. Waiting during a flood (surprise!) and Chasing over Christmas. Regular life is suspended in a lot of ways during both of them, it's very comforting (despite the flood bit). Recommended to read with a mug of some warm beverage on the side.
I absolutely loved it.

These two novellas Waiting for the Flood and Chasing the Light have been republished into one book. Both stories have their own happily ever afters, and there is some spice in the second but not the first.

The first features Edwin and Adam. This one is so incredibly sweet and just absolutely lovely. I adored Edwin, and Adam was amazing for him! Their HEA made me sigh with happy contentment. I truly loved how they seemed to bring the best out in each other.

The second features Marius and Leo and has a decent amount of spice in it. To me, these two didn't feel as connected and in love, but the story still had some nice moments. I definitely enjoyed Marius's parents they were fantastic!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed both of these stories, but be aware that this is two novellas. It's tricky, because the book blurb only mentions the first of the two, and when the stories swapped, I got very confused. Both sides deal with the a recently divorced couple. In the first you see one of them finding love and safety again, and the second shows the other partner getting over himself for probably the first time ever. The first couple are lovey sunshine people who deserve all the love in the world. The second is a grumpy/sunshine pairing where you get to watch the walls slowly come down.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Edwin fell in love with Marius twelve years ago, but sadly things ended and now, heartbroken he lives alone in the house they shared. When Adam comes into his life, changing it forever, Edwin starts to hope he gets to love again. As they are slowly drawn to each other, Edwin begins to open himself up, opening his heart to Adam and accepting love again in his life.

This book was an experience. I felt sad and heartbroken with Edwin, I began to hope again, I fell in love with Adam and hoped for the best and it was an emotional rollercoaster I recommend to everyone who is looking for an heartfelt and sweet queer love story, where characters chase love and joy in their lives.

This book was a perfect novel for a relaxing day. I think they companion novels paired together works well. It wasn't my favorite romance novel but it was pretty good. I liked that both Edwin and Marius are flawed. Their journey to find love includes finding self acceptance.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This deserves all the stars!

Waiting for the Flood is one of the sweetest and most romantic novellas I've ever read. It needed no improvements, and I was happy to see that none were made in this new addition (at least as far as I could tell).

Chasing the Light is a PERFECT companion novella and addition to WFTF, it continues many of the same themes, while also giving context to Edwin's story, and then giving us a bit of an epilogue for WFTF as well. And as usual, the characters (Marius and Leo) were so well developed and there were lots of awkward, tender, and laugh out loud moments. It fits right in with the Spires series, which is to say it is absolutely amazing.

I first read Waiting for the Flood some years ago but this review is for the 2024 edition that includes Chasing the Light. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

Ok, down to business. I’m an Alexis Hall fangirl and it’s all because of the Spires Series. Everything pre-Boyfriend Material is catnip to me. I pick up Spires books when I’m drowning in life because they have the power to draw me out and plug me back into faith that love exists, even as a possible, tangible thing that could show up for me.

I relate to every single one of these guys, some uncomfortably so. The way Hall’s early books thematically present these flawed, rejected, bullied, selfish, closed off, or professionally diagnosed people as being exquisitely, absolutely beautifully real and worthy of a match made in book heaven while zipping along with stellar writing that draws in comedy, sharp intelligence, non-cloying romance turns of phrase, along with frank and emotional sex scenes, is not only a fierce joy for me to read, but very inspiring to my writer brain, even though we occupy different genres.

I can pick up a Spires book at any time and feel better about absolutely everything, and although I have a favorite couple that I don’t think can ever be knocked from their place, Chasing the Light gave me the long wondered about Marius and I fell in love, but it didn’t stop there. It was the unexpected full circle for Edwin and Marius that did it.

Chasing the Light has all of the unique soul that permeates every Spires story and the changed for the better Waiting for the Flood still occurs to me an one of the more moving meditations on loss and hope I’ve ever read. I wish I could bottle it, or even do a better job of breaking down the craft of these books, because although I tend to love reading everything Alexis Hall writes, it’s only Spires and the inimitable How to Bang a Billionaire series that draw me in this deep. The character vulnerability and seriousness of the obstacles is just a magical combo in all of them.

This new edition is fantastically done. I knew Marius only through Edwin. Of course we all did, except Alexis and his lucky-ass beta readers. So to discover another Spires character that, just as strongly as all the rest of them, embodies the magic they each have, is beyond a treat. I’ll take every bit of Edwin and Marius I can get, together or separately, and this year will be made more survivable by the hopefully upcoming announcement of when my beloved Pansies will join this beautiful reissue pantheon. Till then, I’ll be reading this a few more times along with the new Glitterland and For Real and as always, excessively enjoying the depth of human emotion imbued in each one!

Quick note: I don’t use the star system because I’m an author and don’t think it’s appropriate for me to star other author’s books. I only review books I enjoy unless the authors are very, very dead.

Waiting for the Flood is about a breakup, and about being put back together. It is quintessentially very British, and mostly sad because it was about letting go of the past, accepting it and moving on. It is also poetic and emotionally evocative as Hall uses the weather as a simile, adding another element the multi-faceted story of Edwin and Adam. The words the author uses throughout the novella are simply magical in their conveyance of tenderness and heartbreaking moments.
"I don't know where love ends and habit begins."
This quote is everything! Totally struck a chord with me.

Having already read when it was first published, I can say my opinon about it hasn’t changed. I loved being able to fall back in love with Edwin and Marious story and get both perspectives from the original story and the bonus chapter.

Waiting for the Flood is a reissue of Alexis Hall's previously published work of Edwin's story after Marius left him, but includes a wonderful new novella featuring Marius. I am so grateful to Sourcebooks Casablanca in making this available and will be purchasing the trade paperback to get the bonus material. These are stories of acceptance and love and just getting on with a meaningful life. I love Alexis Hall's writing. Highly recommended.

This book was so good and easy to read. It had such hidden depth but without feeling heavy and clunky to read. I loved getting to see both sides of Edwin & Marius’ stories. It was refreshing to see them reconnect and heal from the past. Neither was painted as the villain and they had so much growth.

I was so happy that they both found themselves again and a happy ending.

While I always enjoy the distinct way Alexis Hall writes, the tension and chemistry can be hit or miss for me, and this was one of those cases. I found that I was never able to fully connect with the characters or their banter with each other and the chemistry they had. That being said it was still a fairly solid read. The repub version I read had Waiting for the Flood and Chasing the Light in it, and I enjoyed Chasing the Light more, which in part I think was because of the length. I always find it a bit trickier to connect with characters in shorter, novella-style stories, so that is likely part of why I didn't enjoy these as much as I anticipated overall

I really appreciated the theme of healing, moving on, and the juxtaposition of gaining confidence in Waiting for the Flood and being more vulnerable in Waiting for the Light. It was very cool to see the contrast and similarities of obstacles that Edwin and Marius had to overcome in their stories. I also really liked how Marius' story provided some closure for what happened after Waiting for the Flood and the nice wrap-up of Marius and Edwin's relationship. I can't say I've read too many books where exes play a big role like they did in this one, but I think the approach taken was very effective and captivating.

A gripe I had for both stories is their insta-love nature. Again, because these were short, especially Waiting for the Flood, it was in some ways necessary. But in both cases, not only was the story short, but so was the time frame. Without getting into the details, I think Chasing the Light dealt with this a bit better, as the relationship status jump wasn't quite so drastic, and the end felt more like they were stepping in the direction of healing. In Waiting for the Flood, however, it felt like the characters did such a 180 in terms of healing and growth over the span of a few days. This paired with how immediate the connection was between the two characters, I had a really hard time really buying into it and connecting with them.

Overall, while I didn't love these stories, it was definitely more of a me thing than any certain flaw with the writing. If you're looking for a quick queer romance read, with some themes around healing and new starts, this will definitely scratch that itch.

I loved this book so much! I wasn't expecting such a large portion to be centered around Marius, and at first I was upset, but I really grew to like him. However, I think Edwin and Adam may be my favorite couple. Adam was such a beautiful character and it made me melt every time he called Edwin "Petal"